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Ning Tianchen truly hoped that Zhang Erhe was innocent.
The man had approached him, clearly signaling his intention to seek refuge under Ning Tianchen's wing.
After all, having a quasi-Soul Douluo as a subordinate could accomplish many things.
As for the investigation, Ning Tianchen currently had no leads and couldn't make any arrangements.
Without definitive proof linking the evil soul masters to Zhang Erhe's actions, there was no need to expend excessive effort on this matter.
Upon returning to Seven Treasures Academy, Ning Tianchen settled into one of the dormitories.
At this point, the dormitory area of Seven Treasures Academy had already been completed. Once the teaching buildings and other infrastructure were finished, the academy would officially begin recruiting students.
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The next day, the members of the Seven Treasures Team gathered early on the training grounds.
Following Ke Jie's instructions, everyone went to their respective simulated cultivation fields in the morning to train their soul power.
In the afternoon, Feng Xiaotian arrived at Seven Treasures Academy.
The afternoon training session was temporarily canceled, replaced by watching the spirit duel between Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian.
"I'm a Soul Ancestor, so I have one more soul ring than you. Therefore, I won't use my fourth soul skill during this duel."
This sparring match was primarily aimed at refining his self-created soul skill, so there was no need for Feng Xiaotian to use his fourth soul skill.
Before the match began, Ke Jie reminded both participants, "This is just a friendly sparring match. Do not use excessively lethal moves. If either of you encounters danger, I will immediately intervene to stop the match!"
Both Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian acknowledged the rules and stepped onto the makeshift arena platform.
"Who do you think will win?" Chen Huayu couldn't help but ask.
"It's definitely Big Brother Tianchen," Ning Rongrong said confidently. Though she found Feng Xiaotian to be a decent person, he couldn't compare to Ning Tianchen's importance in her eyes.
Oscar chimed in, "I also believe Tianchen will win."
Yu Die chuckled softly, "This is a level-up challenge—it's hard to say. Besides, from what you've told me, Feng Xiaotian is also a genius. He won't fall easily."
Compared to the others, Zhu Zhuqing was more inclined to believe that Feng Xiaotian could win.
Once agility-type soul masters reached higher levels, their speed advantage became increasingly evident. She believed that if Feng Xiaotian utilized his speed to its fullest, Ning Tianchen would undoubtedly find himself at a significant disadvantage.
Speculation was one thing; only actual combat could reveal the truth.
The match began with Ning Tianchen taking the initiative. The Seven Kill Sword materialized in his hand, and with a swift upward slash, he unleashed a sharp sword beam.
Feng Xiaotian transformed his hands into sharp claws, tearing through the sword qi attack.
Ning Tianchen's speed was far from sluggish. In an instant, he closed in on Feng Xiaotian's side.
His movements were fluid and precise—light, stable, fast, and agile, fully maximizing his footwork.
"Good move!" Despite being hard-pressed, Feng Xiaotian still wore a smile.
This was the kind of battle between geniuses where instead of probing or feeding each other moves, they brought out their true abilities and fought fiercely.
Ning Tianchen's sword strikes were incredibly fast, leaving multiple afterimages of the Seven Kill Sword in their wake.
This was classic rapid swordplay—a style Ning Tianchen had never used before.
Yu Die smiled faintly. "This guy always manages to surprise us."
First, it was the fusion of footwork and sword techniques, then the heavy sword style, and now he had switched to rapid swordplay. Was his talent really so extraordinary that he could master three different sword styles in such a short time?
What Yu Die didn't know was that Ning Tianchen's swordsmanship was personally taught by Sword Dao Chenxin. The intensity of his training was beyond what outsiders could imagine.
With a great teacher and Ning Tianchen's own diligence, mastering these sword techniques wouldn't take long.
"The sword techniques are still unpolished—he must have just learned them recently. His speed is sufficient, but to avoid pauses, he's making too many ineffective attacks," Ke Jie mentally analyzed.
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"Second soul skill, Twin Wolf Empowerment!"
Seeing himself gradually falling into a disadvantageous position and unable to break free, Feng Xiaotian quickly shifted his strategy.
Activating his soul skill, the dual-headed wolf shadow behind him merged with his body, boosting his attack, defense, and agility by 50%.
Gradually catching up to Ning Tianchen's rhythm, he planned to leverage his strength advantage to forcibly interrupt Ning Tianchen's sword techniques.
Ning Tianchen vaguely anticipated his intentions and swiftly altered his sword stance just as Feng Xiaotian's attack was about to land.
The heavy sword style surged forth. The immense force of the upward slash startled Feng Xiaotian.
His third purple soul ring suddenly lit up, and a pair of massive green wings unfurled from his back, propelling him into the air.
Agility-type soul masters were inherently disadvantaged in close-quarters combat against power-type soul masters. Feng Xiaotian stopped stubbornly engaging in melee combat and decided to rely on his aerial advantage to secure victory.
"Though I don't want to use this move, your strength is impressive. If I stay on the ground, I might not be your match," Feng Xiaotian hovered in mid-air, offering an explanation.
Ning Tianchen responded, "Brother Feng, no need to explain. Since this is a sparring match, we should both give it our all."
Below the arena, Ning Rongrong raised her head proudly and declared, "Big Brother Tianchen can fly too. The aerial advantage isn't exclusive to Feng Xiaotian."
The seven members of the Seven Treasures Team knew Ning Tianchen could fly, but how would he fight while flying atop the Seven Kill Sword? Even airborne, how would he engage in combat?
Before they could figure it out, Ning Tianchen revealed the answer through action.
A pair of bone wings sprouted from his back, allowing him to effortlessly achieve flight and hover in the air with the aid of his sword wings.
"Soul Bone!" Everyone was shocked.
"You've had such incredible fortune. But given your talent, a seven-thousand-year torso soul bone might limit your future growth," Feng Xiaotian couldn't help but remark.
The torso soul bone was the most crucial part of a soul master's body, directly affecting their defense and strength. If it were him, even with a seven-thousand-year torso soul bone, he wouldn't absorb it at this age.
Only when his cultivation stabilized and no better soul bones were available would he consider absorbing a thousand-year torso soul bone.
Ning Tianchen was rushing things.
"This isn't a torso soul bone—it's an external soul bone, second only to hundred-thousand-year soul bones in rarity." It was Ke Jie who spoke. He had played a role in helping Ning Tianchen acquire the external soul bone.
"When it was absorbed just over half a year ago, this soul bone was only two thousand years old. I never expected it to reach seven thousand years so quickly."
After Ke Jie's explanation, everyone understood the incredible power of external soul bones.
Feng Xiaotian gave a bitter smile. "It seems I misjudged. Since that's the case, let me witness the might of your external soul bone."
"As you wish."
The battlefield shifted from the ground to the air, and the battle between the two grew even more intense.
The flight speed of the sword wings wasn't slow, and they offered excellent maneuverability.
"First soul skill, Wind Blade Array."
Sharp wolf claws extended from his palms, and with a flick of his wrist, ten crescent-shaped wind blades shot out.
The wind blades converged on Ning Tianchen from ten different angles, almost completely cutting off any retreat.
"Second soul skill, Dragon Sword Guard."
The Seven Kill Sword was held horizontally in front of him, and his soul power transformed into a complete spiritual sword, forming a protective barrier of sword qi around his body.
The wind blades struck the barrier, producing sharp clashing sounds before shattering.
Feng Xiaotian's figure flashed as he accelerated into a dive, his sharp wolf claws striking the barrier.
Using the momentum of his descent, this claw strike tore open a crack in the barrier.
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